A Dire Wolf For Dire Times
by Cagiestsphinx23
Summary: "Throughout history, the most powerful tyrants have always been, in other words, the most powerful puppets for whomever it may be hiding in the shadows. Roman, Adam, Raven, myself and more. All of us puppets willingly or otherwise to Cinder Fall, who in turn is a puppet herself. But if I've no choice but to be a marionette...I'll make sure they choke on my strings."
1. Chapter 1

**_A Dire Wolf For Dire Times_**

 _Chapter one: The Sterling trailer_

 _What a mess._ Where the thoughts of one Schnee president as he gazed at the fire that had begun to engulf his families dust mines from the comfort of his luxurious office. The Faunas had attempted to use the dust to stave off the attacking Grimm, some of them running to the refinery only to be gunned down with the Grimm. _A beast is a beast after all._ Others had attempted to hide deep within the mines, under the misguided belief that their night vision would mean they can hide from the snarling monsters that chased them. No way of knowing that most creatures of the Grimm see clearer in the dark. Chortling at the stupidity of his mongrel staff he turned his attention back to the flames. No doubt that the dust would be unscathed, neither of the savage breeds had any clue on how to utilise it after all.

The staff trapped deep within remnants crust however….

"Alison." He spoke as he pushed a button on his scroll, waiting for his receptionist's response.

"Yes, Mr Schnee?" the young woman replied quickly, to which a sly grin formed on his face. The woman was fresh out of puberty, not at all qualified for such a high ranking job as a receptionist to a CEO, at least the girl seemed to realise why she was employed as such as she was all too eager to earn his approval.

"Post that there will be new positions within the mines opening up within the week." He frowned as a Beowulf Alpha charged towards his refinery, its claws slashing into one of the robot's midriffs as another fell to its jaws before it fell. That would be expensive. "And once this attack has ceased, gather any orphaned children that have survived."

"Very good sir."

"Gentleman. As we all are aware the White fang situation has negativity levels in our mines at an all-time high, so high in fact I dare say that they rival our profit margins." He jested, false smile firmly in place as he regarded his chuckling board of governors. _Like filthy hyenas._ "However in all seriousness this has not gone unnoticed by the Grimm. They kill our staff, and destroy our technology as they salivate at our door step desperate to get inside. The deaths of our staff means we must post increasingly high mortality rates and offer increasingly higher amount of lien to our staff to compensate. Money that would otherwise be known as profit." The mumbling of the corporate big wigs buzzed to life like a swarm of bees defending the nest. Panicked expressions on fat faces as his chief treasurer's chins wobbled in a fashion most comedic. "And the Androids aren't cheap either, despite the compromise we have with the military upon my daughter's enlistment." Muffled words of sympathy were wasted upon him as they filled the room next. "And finally the funerals of the deceased meaning our profit margins have plummeted to 34%." The President sat down and rubbed his moustache as he looked at his fellows. "Any solution's?"

"We pay hunters to guard our walls and staffs instead of buying new androids." His head of security offered his input.

"That means more funeral expenses when they inevitably fall, mortality rates would continue to rise as well. We must seek more negotiations on price with the military to procure more drones." His treasurer counter offered.

"Both good ideas, unfortunately both are flawed from the ground up. You attack the plant; I shall attack its roots." He declared before he pushed a button on his desk. The door opening and a young faunas stepping inside, his white ears twitching upon his head as he squinted at them all. "Gentleman I would like you to meet Denzel Alexander Sterling. Some wolf faunas that was born within our mines and has such never seen the sun. His mother passed away in the most recent Grimm incursion, and as such left him orphaned, the Father died before his birth in a rockslide. Say hello, Denzel."

"Good afternoon Sirs." The young boy greeted as he nodded his head.

"Denzel here is my answer to our problems. He is the first of many children to receive the Schnee Scholarship to any hunter's academy he chooses." He boasted, the child's tiny chest swelling with pride. His white hair bore great likeness to the owner's own family, and many suspected that their president had sired a half breed, however his peridot green eyes were anything but Schnee. Pale skin already marred with scars across his arms from labour, and his clear discomfort in a suit made evident as he pulled at the restricting collar of his shirt.

"With a Faunas hunter the miners would feel safer, and with him being from here we know he isn't a white fang member in disguise." The advisor pondered as a stock holder grinned.

"And if we give them a scholarship the white fang would be dismissed much more readily, meaning the negativity would drop rapidly." The grin grew wider as he gazed at the faunas. "We expect great things young man!" he cheered as he stood to shake his hand. The young Faunas smiling despite the confusion he no doubt felt currently.

He would grow talented in due time, he would after all, have his aura unlocked by a Schnee.

* * *

 **10 Years Later.**

"Here, this will help you." Weiss Schnee, youngest heiress to the infamous Schnee Dust Company said kindly as she handed a cartridge of dust to her teammate and friend Blake Belladonna who accepted it with a nod. The beautiful faunas placing the cartridge into the hollow hilt of Gambol Shroud ready for the upcoming battle. The three elder girls of team RWBY dashing forward through the locomotives carriages with grim determination etched onto their faces.

They would stop this train.

Pushing their way through the first carriage the three girls found themselves staring down well over twenty white fang grunts all ready to stop them getting to the control room. The rookie combatants were quickly dispatched by the trio of huntresses in training, making sure to avoid as little damage and to use as minimum aura as possible with the exception of Yang. Who made sure to deliberately take a couple of hits in order to charge up her semblance. There would be bigger fights the closer they got to the front after all,

Walking into the next carriage the girls were surprised to see the ice cream themed woman they had ran into several times before smiling politely at them before bowing deeply. And where Neo Politian stood, Roman Torchwick wouldn't be far behind. Smashing her knuckles together as Ember Cecilia became its weaponized form.

"She's mine." The blonde called as she launched a round at the tiny body guard. Her team mates using it as a distraction to run by into the next carriage.

* * *

The next carriage held a far more intimidating individual as a shockingly tall man wielding a chainsaw walked forward slowly, revving the blades as he dragged the weapon across the metal floor making it shriek horribly and sparks fly. Laughing maliciously, he swung the mighty weapon at the heiress who managed to deftly block it with a little assistance from Blake who then left a clone and ran to the final carriage. _Strong, but slow._ The heiress smiled as she assesed her opponent.

"Finally I get to kill a Schnee!" He cackled, the white haired teen readying her aura as she got into a combative stance.

"This will only take a minuite." She declared calmly as a glyph appeared underneath her form.

* * *

Bursting through the door of the last carriage Blake came face to face yet again with crime syndicate leader Roman Torchwick who smirked and tilted his cap before saying in his usual overly cocky voice.

"We've really gotta stop meeting like this kitty cat- people are gonna talk!" Making her snarl in disgust as she charged forward to strike the redhead down. Roman rolling his eyes before raising a whistle to his lips and blowing, Blake only just managing to catch the faintest echoes of the shrill sound readied herself for the incoming enemy that would have heard it loud and clear. Turning to the door she waited, careful to keep a watchful eye on Roman on the possibility it was a trick.

The sound of glass smashing made her jump despite all her training as she realised with wide eyes that this carriage had a glass window on the roof for emergency exit. Swinging her weapon around rapidly she wasn't quite fast enough as her new assailant ducked under the swipe before in a show of grace back flipped, striking out with their left foot in mid-air before landing in a protective crouch in front of his boss.

The assailant was very clearly a man if the thick corded arms and rippling chest muscles were any indication. In fact, as far as Blake could tell he was roughly her own age. Though she may be a couple of years off either way due to the full face mask he wore, standard of a white fang member. However, Blake noticed that his mask had a rather peculiar amount of detail for something that would have been so mass produced with the influx of new recruits. His mask had two segments so that it would move with his jaw if he spoke or ate and he had the heads of two wolves howling on each cheek, the shattered moon of remnant at the centre of his forehead. The moon only just being visible as his long white hair hung over his mask with his canine ears only barely visible due to its length. "Ever so sorry kitty cat but this train has a high level of security, and the mutt here says that you gotta go." Roman smiled as he turned back around to control the train.

At that the opposing faunas charged at Blake, Roman carelessly tossing his cane to the teen to parry Gambol shroud before he span around and pointed the projectile end of the weapon in her face and pulled the trigger making Roman wince at the messy end of the girl. Only to find the head missing of a stone statue, the real Blake attempting to run at Roman only to be ensnared by the grapple hook end of the cane and yanked back to the teen who threw her against the farthest wall from the redhead. Standing in-between them so that her view of him was obscured.

"Who are you?" Blake asked the masked man as he tossed the cane back to his boss and tensed his fists.

"Denzel Alexander Sterling." He replied as he waited for her to stand steadily. Seeing his lack of will to attack whilst he was down made Blake wonder if she had met the boy during her own time in the white fang. Any other recruit would have finished her by now, and if they knew each other maybe she could get answers.

"Why are the white fang working for scum like him!?" She screamed in frustration as Roman gasped in mock horror. Den not answering but charging at her one again, striking at her ribs with his right fist he growled as a fire clone exploded and pushed him back, yet again Blake appearing behind him and attempting to strike at his back before grunting in frustration as he ducked underneath before standing straight up rapidly to slam his head into her chin. As she stepped back and went to stab at him the boy simply smacked the flat of the blade so it barely missed his shoulder before slamming his aura infused palm into her chest knocking her flying once again and forcing the air from her lungs. Grabbing some chain off of the floor he walked forward at a leisurely pace, his red eyes glinting between the mask.

Just as he raised the chain high to whip it down and crack open her skull like a high impact bull whip the entrance flew off its hinges with Weiss unconscious upon it. The chainsaw wielder cackling before coughing as Blake kicked him in the head, revealing the version lay on the floor in front of Den to be another Clone. Wasting no time Den hurled the chain like a bolas at Blake only for his eyes to widen in surprise as it turned out to be an electric clone. His supposed comrade kicking the clone away from himself and towards the teen as it exploded.

"Two white haired brats for the price of one!" He cackled before turning back to Weiss, assuming her semblance had been something stupid like to self-destruct. Lifting the chainsaw high in the air Blake waited up on the roof for the fool to strike at the clone of Weiss only to be shocked as her own opponent appeared behind him and wrapping the chain around his neck, choking him.

"You shall not harm her!" He bellowed as he placed his feet on the larger man's back and straightened out, putting all of his weight and strength on the chain choking his foe, from this angle Blake could see that his mask had shattered to show his left eye, which was now a peridot green rather than the feral red it appeared to be whilst under the mask. "Where ever you're hiding!" he yelled as he grunted, the other masked individual now pulling on the chain as well, slowly over powering the younger man. "Brace yourself!" He yelled as the chain snapped between the two's combined strength, causing him to fall to the floor, kicking his opponent in the back of the knee so he fell too before grabbing his hair and pulling his head close. "And look away!" he hollered. just as Blake managed to close her eyes she heard the sickening snap of a bone. Opening her eyes she looked over the edge to see green and red orbs staring at her before he made to grab her, panicking she turned away to grab Weiss and flee before she saw it.

They were heading straight for the wall that sealed vale from the Mountain Glenn railway.

They had failed to stop the train.

* * *

 _ **So I hope you enjoyed the Sterling trailer, which like the rest of the trailers just explains why he fights and offers a breif showcase in his abilities.**_

 _ **But yeah I have a favour to ask, if anyone knows all the names for all of the grimm can you do me a favour and let me know in the review or via PM. I think im mostly okay besides the names of the t-rex ones, but a list nonetheless wouldn't hurt!**_

 _ **Please follow and favourite, or don't! Just be make sure to review and say nice ego stroking things…..pls**_

 _ **Anyhoot see yall later guys**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_CHAPTER 2: Shit Gets Real_**

Blake's vision was blurry upon opening her eyes, her highly evolved ears hardly picking up on the sound of heavy breathing over the ringing in them. Her vision focusing, she yelped in fright to see herself in the centre of a ring of corpses. Lifeless bodies of White fang and slowly dissolving Grimm alike being illuminated by the flames slowly consuming the train. WEISS! Blake's scattered thoughts homed in on the memory of her unconscious friend as she searched the faces of the dead around her, thankful that the heiress wasn't amongst them.

"WE- "Blake had attempted to call her friends name only to scream as a hand wrapped around her mouth muffling her.

"Be quiet you dunce or else you'll only cause us more trouble." The heiress whispered into her ear, her harsh tone she calming the assassin of team RWBY. _If she can be Snotty then she's fine._ Her subconscious reasoned. Nodding that she understood, Weiss let go of her and quickly pulled her into a hug. "He's hurt." Weiss said in hushed whispers before leading her back into the trains control room.

Lay on the floor was the bloodied and beaten Denzel Sterling. "I woke up to find that he was killing anything that got too close to us. Brutal but effective, especially considering that the white fang was so scared of the Grimm they were basically a beacon of negativity for them to hone in on." Weiss crinkled her nose as the sight of his curled fists. The variety of scents in the blood meaning that the blood wasn't his own.

"He didn't seem to like the other guys in the train either after that mask he wears cracked." Blake replied in thought.

"What do we do, we can't carry him and fight even if he was protecting us." Weiss reasoned as she looked to her team mate.

"We don't owe him anything." Blake replied, already feeling guilt burn in her ribs as he groaned in his sleep. He'd die if left here, she knew that this was a death sentence. But her and Weiss came first. "I'm sorry Denzel." She said sadly as she jumped off of the train. Weiss following behind her with her head down and fists clenched. Obviously she wasn't feeling great about this either.

 _"_ _Good luck."_

Blake thought she had heard coming from the room behind her. Stopping momentarily, she remembered the last time she had heard those words. She had just severed the train links and left Adam behind. Expecting him to scream abuse at her for leaving she was astonished to hear him say the words before turning around and preparing to return to camp.

Bound in Null Stone cuffs was a groggy Den, Blake dragging him along by his chains as he walked forward as fast as he could, despite his body screaming to stop.

"So I'm a prisoner then?" Den called out to the two women in front of him hoping for an answer. Scowling when the only reply was that of a Beowulf in the distance. "Can I ask for the charges." He called out only to unleash a feral growl as Blake yanked harder on the chain causing him to stumble forward.

"Oh nothing serious." Weiss spun around with a voice and face too sweet to be serious. "Just you know, the terrorist acts you assisted in, Assault, Theft since you actually had the train, pretty sure bomb making is illegal and oh how could I forget. The mass murders of countless members of the white fang!" She screamed before shutting up as the Beowulf howled again.

"Self-defence, it was abandoned, I had no clue they were there and very enthusiastic helping of self-defence." Den replied before he mused. "Though I suppose you've got me om the terrorist thing. By the way how's Adam?" He asked, arrogance dripping from his voice as Blake bowed her head in shame and anger. So he had recognised her on the train. No doubt he was one of the high ranking members of the fang.

Weiss, acting in Blake's defence, spun around again only to scream in panic as Den was casually walking along directly behind her arms liked behind his head with the confines of the chain no longer binding him, the Null stone cuffs being dragged along the floor some metres away. "The city's that way sweet heart." He smirked before walking past her, winking as he went.

"How did you get out of those cuffs!" Blake demanded as she pointed Gambol shroud at his back.

"Easily." Den replied as he continued to walk, apparently unbothered by the gun pointed at him, raising his right hand and promptly dislocated his thumb before pushing it back in. "Let that be a lesson to you girls if you're ever in a pickle."

"Then why are you walking with us calmly." Blake demanded once again.

"Sorry but right now I'm in front of the two of you, you're walking with me. Otherwise, I have to get back to the city for personal reasons." He finished. "Afterwards whatever the council wants from me I'll oblige." Den shrugged before turning to look at his fellow Faunas. "And whilst we're on talking terms, you should know that just because you have a cache of dust doesn't mean you have to use it, its predictable." He grunted before casting an eye to Weiss. "And you need to stop holding back." He smiled. "You should have beaten your own opponent, you're a Schnee, you should of summon-" Den stopped as he looked at Blake for a moment before turning back to the other huntress. "I'm assuming you catch my meaning." He finished his lecture as darkness bathed the tunnels, the power keeping the work lights functioning cutting out.

"Dammit!" Blake cursed as her eyes rapidly adapted, whilst her and Den would see clearly as primarily nocturnal Faunas, the heiress wouldn't be so lucky. If they were assaulted by Grimm right now…

"Blake!" Weiss whisper yelled. "Where is he?" She flinched as Den rolled his eyes a few feet from the heiress, touching her shoulder cautiously.

"Not ran off yet." He replied. "Come here." He tacked on as he guided her hands to his own shoulders, ducking down to carry her on his back. "lead the way." He invited as he looked towards his fellow faunas. Having no choice but to let him carry Weiss she nodded, if she carried her then Den was free to attack them both. Despite the apparent lack of aggression towards them right now that didn't mean he wasn't deadly.

After walking for several minutes in silence Den spoke up. "I smell burning." He grunted as he broke into a light jog, Weiss almost falling off as she bobbed up and down on his back, her blush obvious even in this lighting.

Vale was in flames. Grimm ran rampant in the streets attacking anyone they could, the city guard desperately trying to hold off the horde until hunters could arrive and quell the tide of black fur and slobbering fangs.

"Dear girls, I wish I could say it was fun." He smiled as he removed his hands from under Weiss' thighs. "If I don't make it I need you to tell Ozpin that JDGE was wiped out in service to vale, and then tell CFVY the same." He coughed as if clearing his throat before he leaned his head back and inhaled. A ten-second-long howl full of mourning and sorrow breaking through the din of gun fire as every Beowulf stopped to turn towards the sound, howling back before approaching as fast as they could, easing the pressure on the military. "Leave a clone, take her and run." Den snarled as he grabbed Gambol shroud and removed the dust cartridge. "Call for help, and try to call your team, it may be your last chance to do so." He finished before he charged forward, dust cartridges in hand as he ducked under a swipe from and Alpha and tackling it to the ground, jamming his thumb into a bullet hole that had been left in the beast's shoulder, its howls of agony increasing in volume as it began to swell up at an alarming rate, Den quickly back tracking as the remaining Beowulf's fell on their alpha and began tearing it to shreds in an attempt to claim its rank. A loud explosion rang out as blood and fur flew everywhere before the terrain became misty with Grimm smoke as they began to decay.

"He inserted flame dust straight into it!" Weiss giggled in shock.

"He literally turned it into a bomb and changed the field to his advantage!" Blake noted as she crinkled her nose at the smell of burning flesh.

"We should go." Blake said as she grabbed Weiss who made a clone of the two before they stepped onto a glyph that launched them into the air and behind the military's defensive line.

"I'm going to call Ruby." Blake yelled as the noise of gunfire suddenly seemed louder then she could ever remember it being. Almost instantly the reaper answered.

"Hey Blake! How are you?" the leader casually asked even as the familiar sound of her sniper fired.

"Surviving." She responded. "Where are you?" The question was met by a series of rose petals appearing in front of her, their leader still talking into the scroll as she answered. "I was only down the road, guess you couldn't hear crescent rose over all this huh?" She smiled as she hung up. "Where's Yang?" Ruby asked as Weiss smiled and hugged her partner.

"Probably where she shouldn't be and causing trouble." She said affectionately as both her and Blake froze.

"She's with Den isn't she?" Blake face palmed before opening her Scroll yet again and calling the brawler.

"Hey Blakey!" Yang cheered as she swung her arm at a Beowulf's face, releasing a shotgun shell and bowling it back into three of its kin. Her new comrade rapidly capitalising as he skewered them with a piece of rebar, bending the end so they couldn't pull themselves off. "Might not be the best time for it but I've met someone." She cackled as even the masked man she had found cutting off the retreat of the prey rolled his eyes at her. No wonder he was acting undercover in the white fang though, if the mist was something to go off he had already killed his fair share before she arrived.

"Dammit Yang." Blake giggled through the scroll in relief. No doubt deciding that if she could joke around she was okay. "Are you with Den?" Her partner asked as he looked over and nodded at the question. _Faunas hearing is so cool._ Yang thought as she confirmed to Blake that she was.

"Were having CFVY and JNPR sent to your location now, just hold on for two more minutes and we'll cut our way through to you." Blake surmised as she hung up.

Den had taken to wielding two pieces of rebar as if they were swords as he turned to Yang.

"Aim for the legs, we'll never kill them all but we can make them crawl over their crippled brethren!" he snarled as he blocked a horizontal slash and stabbed his opponent in the thigh using his free hand, ducking under a new assailants attack forcing it to cleave his previous combatant in two before he jammed both pieces of metal into its throat, forcing aura into his legs as he ran forward into the horde, using the corpse as a battering ram and meat shield to bowl over those in his way and defend against those who would otherwise impale him.

"Got you!" Yang yelled as she shot her gauntlet to the closest Grimm, not as much as knee capping it as blowing its leg clean off she cringed and repeated the action as she was slowly pushed back.

Blake herself had taken to ushering civilians to safety within a church, standing guard in the rafters making sure nothing could get in to harm them. A lone Boarbertusk getting too close to the door before it would be struck with a hook and yanked into the rafters, a single tusk being the only thing to drop down again before it vanished from existence. Something that Ruby was quick to grab as she zoomed forward and jammed it into the eye of an Ursa Major, a glyph appearing in front of the young girl as the beast lashed out in pain rather than cowering and pawing at its wound as the lesser Ursa variant would have done.

"All power, no brain." Weiss muttered, Cardin momentarily being pulled to the forefront of her mind.

Den grunted as he blocked a two handed strike from another Alpha, his arms struggling to push back as the Alpha began to release a raspy chuckle. To his horror he noticed the very slight yellowing to the beast's mask. The tell-tale sign of an ancient Grimm was not a welcome sight as sure enough the beast snapped its teeth mere centimetres from his throat as it continued to apply pressure in the threat of skewing him upon its claws. Inhaling he blew his breath out through his mouth, a thick red mist billowing out as he did so. The ancient Grimm narrowing its eyes at what it expected to be a semblance only to scream in pain as the faunas lent forward and grated the upper and lower sections of his mask together, creating a spark and igniting the dust he had blew into both of their faces.

"Aura is a wonderful thing." Den smirked as he backed away unscathed from the exchange, the Grimm however was lay down suffering as its fellows once again tried to claim a ranking position in the pack.

Engines rang overhead as several forms dropped from them, a ginger girl giggling as she slammed a hammer into one of the mob's head, crushing it and killing it instantly. A long haired young man shooting into the crowd with a young woman with long red hair. A blonde man ran up to him and attempted to block a strike with a shield before crumping to one knee as another ancient being made an attempt at his life. "Next time it strikes reinforce your body with aura and then let out a small shockwave in its direction, knock them off balance." Den snarled as he turned to another trio of the beasts. Jaune nodding hesitantly before tucking behind his shield again, forgetting to reinforce his body and falling to his knee again under the force of the blow he let out a larger shockwave to compensate, quickly lashing forward with Crocea Mors to lose balance as he hit nothing. "Or do that." Den commented as Jaune looked to see at least 12 smouldering corpses, their upper halves totally eviscerated.

The field of corpses Jaune had accidentally created was enough landing space for CFVY to land. Fox charging to an Alpha and causing it to implode using his semblance to make bombs. Coco and Yatsuhashi mowing down everything that moved. "They always were strong." Den muttered as his ears twitched upon his head, quickly spinning around to kill what had gotten behind him to stop still as he saw her.

"Den?" Velvet asked him as he eyes widened, ears stood tall on her head.

"Hey…Velvet."


End file.
